Stanislaus

The German answer to Game Night, which I found a little less satisfying in its humour and story than its American counterpart. After the excellent The Perfect Secret, Elyas M'Barek and Frederick Lau star in a comedy with a dash of gangster action and spontaneous romance, which didn't exactly have me rolling with laughter – although I was indeed amused by the game night sequence – but it was still a likeable respite, perhaps only slightly marred (for my taste) by the fumbled ending of the gangster line. PS: Watch out for Asian food and cocktail paraphernalia!

In its atmosphere, but also in its technical execution, The Unholy reminded me of Darkness Falls, but instead of cursed Mary, we have the Tooth Fairy. The premise is not bad at all, and the opening line from the 19th century had something to it, but the film still struck me as a bit cheap, almost TV-like at times, with its weak visual effects, the strange script and the odd cinematography. The film has quite a lot of jump-scares, but it looks mostly one-dimensional without any attempt to build tension. PS: I loved the poster.

After reading the synopsis, Run reminded me of the TV series The Act and the classic film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, although I haven't seen either (yet), so it's nothing new in terms of story. Acting-wise, it is handled well ("Lana Banana" knows how to portray unstable characters) and it even managed to make me tense a few times. Yet I felt that a little more could have been wrung out of the premise to make this "toxic maternal love story" more intense at the end. Better three stars!

Viewers are used to getting deep, adult-oriented animated films from Pixar, in which imagination is not limited, and therefore Luca will seem like the work from another studio, as it is a modest and flatter piece, which doesn't lack freshness and also has a touch of action and humour. In fact, the central pair of "monsters" could also be made up of a "non-fantastic" pair of young boys who explore a new and hitherto unknown world, while a friendly bond develops between them. For an hour and a half, we are immersed below and above water in a world with a distinct but not garish Italian colour, and embark on a journey of (self)discovery. Younger audiences will be entertained by the funny antics of the main characters and certainly by the insidious Macchiavelli, while adults will be attracted by the parallels with today's society, where minorities still do not have it easy. A weaker four stars!

As Disney's version of Joker, Cruella forges its own path (unlike Disney's previous live-action remakes) telling the origin story of the de-mon-ic lover of black-and-white polka dots in a slyly, almost mischievously funny way. I liked how they managed to incorporate various motifs that would later appear in the Dalmatian sequel (I loved Roger and Anita). From an audiovisual point of view, it is a spectacular piece with a decent soundtrack and a plethora of gorgeous costumes, though at times the overly artificial visual effects (the dogs) spoiled the impression a bit. Emma Stone is likeable, Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser are funny second fiddles, and the whole thing was superbly capped by the coolly elegant Emma Thompson. The plot twists are all predictable, but what the hell, I had fun in the cinema and thoroughly enjoyed the black and white quest for revenge.

Thiago Cazado's first feature film captures a couple's relationship in a very ordinary way - from the sweet beginning to the bitter end - and at times has an almost documentary-observational feel. Within its genre, the film offers nothing new and initially comes across as bland through its execution, but the last third definitely had something going for it. At times it felt like the work of Argentinian filmmaker Marco Berger, but his films are much more sensual.

Although it lacks some of the wow-effect of the first film, A Quiet Place Part II is a worthy continuation of a story in which the slightest noise can have fatal consequences. In many ways, this sequel copies the plot of the first one and borrows functional motifs, but it doesn't get boring and manages to be tense and even scare decently in places. John Krasinski has explained a little bit the appearance and characteristics of the monsters, and I firmly hope that we will see a third part in which this issue would be resolved to the last "shudder". I understand that some viewers may criticize the film for a flatter story without breathtaking plot twists, but once again, it worked for me, especially in the opening with the arrival of the monsters, and just as well in the final interlude of three mini-sequences. PS: If it isn’t a nail, it’s a bear trap.

Viggo Mortensen's directorial debut has a compelling premise, but its power is somewhat dissipated in a rather shallow execution. In terms of acting, it's a quality piece (perhaps only Laura Linney over/underacted a bit), and I was intrigued by its retrospective narrative, yet I felt it lacked stronger emotions to move me while watching.

As they say, "Coincidence is stupid!" but when coincidences start piling up suspiciously, things tend to get ugly. Riders of Justice foreshadows the plot causality inherent in virtually every story. In this case, however, this mundane plot attribute is provided with a compelling theme and accompanied by an incredibly bizarre cast of characters and plenty of moments in which black humour, blood, fisticuffs and swearing are not spared, while a few serious scenes from life are also included. Whether by chance, fate, mistake or algorithm, Anders Thomas Jensen's film is - not coincidentally - a solid watch.

At first glance, Servants captivated me with its compellingly raw audiovisual approach that managed to convincingly create the unpleasant atmosphere of a seminary. Even if the film feels stilted at times, it manages to give a decent approximation of the conditions four decades ago through its black and white cinematography and all the more oppressive images. Probably a one-view film, but well worth it. A weaker four stars!